Harpa
Harpa is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Reykjavík audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~45 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Reykjavík Reykjavík guide
.jpg){kind=link}
About Harpa
A concert hall sheathed in honeycombed coloured glass on the harbour, Harpa rose as the only major project still building through Iceland's 2008 crash, and won Europe's top architecture prize.
Harpa is a concert hall and conference centre on Reykjavík's harbour front at Austurbakki 2, home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera. Designed by the Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects with the Icelandic firm Batteríið, it is wrapped in a coloured-glass facade developed with the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, its twelve-sided glass-and-steel modules inspired by columnar basalt and lit by LEDs after dark.
Construction began in 2007 but stalled in the 2008 financial crisis, when it was for a time the only major project still active in Iceland; the government funded its completion. The first concert took place on 4 May 2011 and the building was officially opened on 13 May 2011. It covers about 28,000 square metres, rises around 43 metres, and won the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2013. Its largest hall, Eldborg, seats roughly 1,600 to 1,800.
Did you know? When Iceland's economy collapsed in 2008, construction stalled and Harpa became, for a period, the only major building project still active in the country; the government stepped in to fund its completion.
How long should you spend at Harpa?
Plan about ~45 min at Harpa. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Harpa worth visiting?
Harpa is one of the 18 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Reykjavík, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Reykjavík
Day 1 of the Reykjavík in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Harpa
Preview the Reykjavík tour free in the Gingerguide app.